2006 Abule Egba pipeline explosion

September 2020 August 2026 The 2006 Abule Egba pipeline explosion is a disaster that occurred in the heavily populated neighborhood of Abule Egba in Lagos, Nigeria, on 26 December 2006, killing hundreds of people. There were originally believed to be around 500 deaths, but it was later confirmed that the loss was smaller. The incident occurred after an elevated pipeline carrying petroleum products was punctured by thievesZhang Linda Nigerian Pipeline Blast Spurs UN Call for Fuel Management Review International Business Times 29 December 2006 http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20061229/nigeria-oil-explosion-un.htm 1 January 2007 earlier at midnight (local time), attracting hundreds of scavengers in the district who collected the fuel using plastic containers, allegedly to siphon fuel into a tanker, before puddles of fallen fuel were ignited after dawn.http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/africa/12/26/nigeria.blast.ap/index.html 200 dead in Nigeria pipeline blast, Red Cross confirms CNN, originally Associated Press 26 December 2006 26 December 2006 https://web.archive.org/web/20070102080252/http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/africa/12/26/nigeria.blast.ap/index.html 2 January 2007 live The cause of the explosion remains unknown, while witnesses have stated that the broken pipeline was tapped when the blast occurred. The number of people killed is unclear, but is evidenced to be in the hundreds. Abiodun Orebiyi, the secretary-general of the Nigerian Red Cross (NRC), estimated that there were at least 200 dead but indicated that there was no official death toll and was unable to determine the final number of deaths, stating that the NRC "[doesn't] know if it is 300, 400 or 500".http://today.reuters.com/news/articlenews.aspx?type=newsOne&storyID=2006-12-26T153237Z_01_L26344713_RTRUKOC_0_US-NIGERIA-FIRE.xml&WTmodLoc=Home-C2-TopNews-newsOne-6 Up to 500 killed in Lagos fuel blast Reuters 26 December 2006 29 December 2006 https://web.archive.org/web/20070216050529/http://today.reuters.com/news/articlenews.aspx?type=newsOne 16 February 2007 dead He also added that 60 people had been taken to the hospital with serious burns, while a number of houses had been destroyed, along with a mosque and a church. Another senior official, Ige Oladimeji, was quoted as saying that there has been 260 documented to be dead by nightfall.http://news.sky.com/skynews/article/0,,30000-13559365,00.html Hundreds Die in Nigeria Pipeline Blast Sky News 26 December 2006 29 December 2006 On the day of the explosion, a Reuters news agency photographer estimated 500 bodies in the scene.https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/6209845.stm Lagos pipeline blast kills scores BBC News 26 December 2006 26 December 2006 See also 2006 Atlas Creek pipeline explosion 2010 South Kivu tank truck explosion List of pipeline accidents Gasoline theft References External links Photos by The New York Times Nigeria Category:2006 explosions Category:2006 industrial disasters Category:2006 disasters in Nigeria Category:Explosions in Nigeria Category:Pipeline accidents 2006 Category:2006 in the environment Category:Deaths caused by petroleum looting Category:December 2006 in Nigeria Category:Disasters in Lagos State